Doughology: The Donut Life

A cop and a donut shop. No, it’s not the beginning of a joke or a pun. For retired NYPD Detective Chris Stiansen and his wife Jackie, donuts are life. Doughology is a sweet little donut and coffee shop in Lynbrook that began purely out of a need for change. When Jackie was told she had cancer three-and-a-half years ago, the former brokerage firm worker knew that she was going to open a business.

“I got sick in January 2014 and the minute I heard ‘we see something,’ I decided I was never going to do this again. I just wanted to have a business that was fun, just sitting and talking over coffee,” she said, adding that her husband was on board, doing anything he could to make life better. “It changed my life; we thought we were creating a little donut shop. It blew up.”

Jackie’s daughter attended college in New Jersey and frequented a specialty donut shop called Duck Donuts. After her diagnosis, Jackie—who is now cancer-free—and her husband decided they were going to move to North Carolina—but while discussing the prospects of selling their house, Jackie opened up a local book and saw the same Duck Donuts.

(Photos by Nicole Lockwood)

“There were too many things pointing in one direction, so we came back and started this,” she said, adding that she always wanted to have her own business but didn’t know what to focus on. “It was a learn-as-you-go process.”

In 2015, the Oceanside couple began scouting locations for their shop. Having already known people from the area, the Stiansens decided on Atlantic Avenue.

“A cop and a donut shop. It’s hysterical. The whole thing is irony,” said Jackie. “We wanted to do everything we could to make someone happy, so we kept going and did weddings and parties and specialty donuts. Actually, Kathie Lee and Hoda found us and tasted our donuts on The Today Show for National Donut Day on June 2. That was pretty cool.”

A cop and a donut shop. It’s hysterical. The whole thing is irony!

The Stiansens source their ingredients both locally (Joe from Inter-County Bakers Inc.) and from out of state. When Doughology says that their donuts are fresh, there are no holes in that statement. Donuts are constantly made throughout the day, especially on weekends when they are in high demand.

“At the end of the night, we take the donuts home or we’ll give them out to people on the block,” said Jackie. “We also make donut chips into crunchy cookies.”

Doughology has 16 constant specialty donut flavors including chocolate Oreo, s’mores, confetti, maple bacon and lemon coconut. They also have simple donuts including powdered, glazed and cinnamon sugar. According to Jackie, stand-out favorites are Churro and French Toast.

“We have a famous rainbow cookie donut on Sundays or for special orders and we do seasonal and holiday donuts,” said Jackie.

Co-owner Jackie Stiansen

A popular addition to Doughology is the in-store donut bar, where customers can make their own donut choosing whatever glazes and toppings they like. Doughology can also bring their donut bar to your parties and weddings. They charge $175 to set up a bar with employees, donuts (vanilla and chocolate), glazes (strawberry, caramel, vanilla, chocolate, peanut butter) and toppings. The donuts are dipped and topped to whatever the customer wants and are priced at $2.50 per donut.

“We customize donuts all the time; tie dye, characters and we’ll create a flavor for someone,” said Jackie. “My idea is also to have a donut truck like you have an ice cream truck and go out and give people dessert at night.”

The family-run business includes co-owners Jackie and Chris, Jackie’s sister, sister-in-law and nieces. Her daughter and mother also help behind the counter, making this a business with heart.

“We have regulars all the time and you meet people who are just like you. Everybody here has fun,” said Jackie. “Everything just became perspective to me. When you’re scared you have nothing to lose. Just go for it.”

Jennifer Fauci is the managing editor of Long Island Weekly, Boulevard and Anton Media Group’s local magazines. Her passion for literature, travel and the arts lend to the unique content in her publications. In her time at Anton, she has received first place in the Folio Awards, second place for the NYPA awards and is the recipient of three PCLI awards.

Long Island Area News

With the daily political narrative being defined within a truth-is-stranger-than-fiction framework, filmmaker Nelson Denis has taken a satirical crack at addressing these strange times...

ABOUT US

Long Island Weekly is your go-to source for news, entertainment, arts, music, sports and more. Our team of award-winning reporters and columnists provide you with the latest breaking local news, tackling issues that are vital to Long Island residents and providing information and insight available nowhere else.